Michigan

After more than 20 community members spoke during public comment asking for a delay on the matter, the East Lansing Planning Commission delayed further action on the proposed redevelopment of Trowbridge Plaza. (Brandon Howell | MLive.com)
(Brandon Howell | MLive.com)

EAST LANSING -- About two dozen community members took the podium during public comment at Wednesday's East Lansing Planning Commission meeting.

Most of them called for revisiting the redevelopment plan for Trowbridge Plaza before moving forward. Many speakers openly expressed their disapproval of the plan, specifically focusing on what they perceived as the eviction of longtime neighborhood grocery, Goodrich's Shop-Rite, from the plaza.

After more than two hours of public comment, the commission obliged its constituents. The commission could have signed off on the redevelopment plan and sent it on to the East Lansing City Council for final approval, but instead it tabled the matter for future discussion and action.

Commissioner Don Davis first moved to delay the matter, citing significant public feedback that he said needs to be considered before moving forward.

DeWitt Township-based Caddis Development presented its modified site plan to the commission. Kevin McGraw, president of the firm, said his team made several changes to their prior plans after feedback from the public and Planning Commission at its last meeting in December.

The earlier version of the $24 million project included constructing two apartment buildings--one for MSU students, one for non-students. The student apartment building would be located at the site of the now-shuttered Bamboo restaurant and the non-student apartments would take the place of the vacant building that used to be a bank situated along Trowbridge Road.

Original plans also called for razing the Wendy's at 1000 Trowbridge Road then rebuilding it 100 feet away.

After input from the public and the Planning Commission, McGraw and Caddis have retooled the second-floor of the eastern residential building for "flex use," meaning it could hold offices if a tenant is found. And the first floor of the western building will now hold 85 parking spaces, as well as more underground.

Plans for razing the Wendy's have been abandoned due to soil issues. The redevelopment also calls for upgrading the liquor license at Hobie's from an outdated tavern license to a more standard Class C license.

East Lansing Community Development Analyst Tim Schmitt said the changes to the development proposal are good.

"They've essentially accommodated everything we've asked them," he said. "They have substantially increased the amount of non-residential on the site... They have certainly upgraded that substantially on the eastern building to the point that it may be 50-50 (mixed use)."

The proposed redevelopment of Trowbridge Plaza calls for increasing total parking spaces from the current 340 to 472, with about 100 below ground for the western residential building.

While first addressing the commission, McGraw stressed that he wanted to move past the issue of Goodrich's. He said the matter was a foregone conclusion as it failed to meet a market-value rent his firm needs from the grocery tenant--Goodrich's rent, established in a soon-to-end-lease signed 20 years ago, is some 600 percent below market value, according to McGraw.

"That isn't true, because you can't evict someone with no lease," McGraw said, noting that Goodrich's lease ends in August.

"I've got to tell you: We tried (to keep Goodrich's)," McGraw told the commission. "There's not a...landlord in town that doesn't want to keep...people who are as good as Goodrich's. We've tried since last summer to keep them (but) it's not fair to ask the property owner to subsidize them."

"It's sad," he added. "I shop at Goodrich's too."

McGraw told the commission, in retrospect, he may not have endeavored to redevelop Trowbridge Plaza as he did nearly two years ago. He cited difficulties in the process. Many in the community have been outraged ever since Goodrich's apparent exit from the plaza came to light.

"I've lived here since '85," McGraw told the commission. "I drive past the site every day. If I knew (two years ago) what I know now, I'm not sure I'd be standing here tonight. It's just too hard...